To the victor, the spoils
by harinezumiko
Summary: In the competitive world of the Capsule Coliseum league, the Domino Dragons are used to kicking ass. However since the Cairo Magicians got a new leader things have changed. Now KAI takes on King in a new kind of battle...


The roar of the crowd grew, drawing Kaiba through the backstage corridor into the dimly lit wings. He shook his hands out, tested each finger's reaction against the lean muscle of his thighs. Tonight would be the third time he would face off in person against the rookie pro who had the audacity to call himself "king". He strained to see him on the opposite side, but the stage lighting was too strong.

Kaiba cast a glance back at his brother and teammates as the cheers died down and the announcer began. He could see the determination shining in their eyes. There was no need for a pep talk: each knew their role and would perform it more than adequately. Not to Kaiba's level, of course, but they only had to present a challenge to the opposing team. Kaiba himself would take on the King.

"…and leader of the Domino Dragons, KAI!"

Kaiba strode out to the chant of the crowd. The sound filled his soul. He tilted his head to take in the packed arena, flung his arms wide and turned slowly to display the embroidered silk coat he'd had made for the occasion. The team wore matching short-sleeved polo shirts, both for comfort and to display prominently the sponsoring Kaiba Corporation's logo, but the impact of a good entrance could not be understated. He handed it to an assistant as the rest of his team walked out.

"…KapMon! He's KAI's brother, and a formidable force in his own right." Mokuba held up v-signs with his fingers as he walked across the stage, grinning.

"A former League of Wizards winner, now kicking ass in Capsule Coliseum, Amazoness!" The cheers intensified to a roar as Mai blew the audience a kiss. It was a cheap tactic, Kaiba thought, but as long as it didn't interfere with her skill he let it slide.

"And in her long-awaited professional debut, SilentStorm!" This was Kaiba's own cheap tactic. Pitting Jounouchi against Shizuka was sure to throw him off his game. Kaiba had been saving her opening night for just this occasion. The newbie came out nervously, though, and Kaiba wondered briefly whether he'd been right to kick Raptor out for her. He looked at Mokuba sitting next to him, fingers flitting over the keyboard, and his resolve hardened. Of course he was right.

"Now, give a very warm welcome to the away team, the Cairo Magicians, and their leader King!"

Kaiba stiffened in his seat, his head fixed as his eyes followed the confident strut of Atem across the stage. Atem acknowledged him in passing, just the faintest tilt of his chin and flick of his eyes, but it was enough to get Kaiba's blood racing through his veins. He'd thought gaming itself was a rush until he'd met Atem.

"Kuraibou, who only seems to get better and better, he's one to watch!"

Kaiba was indeed watching as Atem put a friendly hand on Yugi's shoulder before the two took their seats. The two of them seemed close and it discomfited him somehow.

"Don't be deceived by her name, Sugarplum is one tough customer!"

Anzu's pirouetted entrance was lost on Kaiba. Atem was putting on his headset, sweeping his blond bangs up and away from the band. The contrast was striking.

"And finally, CodeRed, challenging his own sister here tonight. Give it up for the Cairo Magicians and the Domino Dragons!"

Kaiba stood to pose for the cheering crowd, his arms folded and his lips tight. Atem mirrored his pose and Kaiba locked eyes with him, initiating the challenge. Atem smiled in return, his brow lowered. Kaiba wondered how someone so short could possibly appear to be looking down on him. It was maddening. _Fight me_, he mouthed, getting a mere nod in return. Kaiba's fingernails clenched into his palms as he retook his seat. He pulled his headset on viciously and tested the sound and mouse sensitivity. All perfect, as expected. The headphones were noise-cancelling and cut out the noise of the room and the announcer. Kaiba focused on the countdown on the screen, his fingers poised and ready, like those of his teammates.

With a flurry of glitter the countdown ended. Colourful creatures hopped and flew into the stage. Kaiba had lucked out – the blimp stage was home turf for him. His salmon-pink Kidmodo Dragon scuttled to the deck on top and lashed out with its tongue at Atem's Beaver Warrior. The beast sharply dodged, aiming a kick at the dragon – which allowed Kaiba to launch a special. The dragon's wings unfurled in feathers of pearlescent light, and the pink of its skin gave way to shimmering blue-grey as the dragon – now dwarfing its opponent, and the blimp itself – breathed an incandescent burst on Atem's creature, hurling it off the stage. It returned though, tossed back by Yugi's Kuriboh; and worse, Jounouchi's Tiger Axe managed to get a few jabs in while Kaiba's dragon cooled down to its original form.

"Get on them!" he shouted to his teammates through the headset. He'd be having words with them all later for leaving him exposed like that. "I'll dethrone the King."

Shizuka's Gyakutenno Megami landed behind him, wrongfooting Tiger Axe. She held her staff as a barrier to deflect the beast's attacks before whirling upon him in a torrent of moonlight and casting him to the lower level. Kaiba gave a taught nod as she jumped to follow him. Mai's harpies fell upon Yugi's Kuriboh with a spray of feathers – she'd pay for that when it levelled up, but that was her problem.

Out of the danger zone for now, Kaiba's dragon circled Atem's warrior, waiting for him to make a move. Was that – was that the _idle_ animation? He couldn't help but take his eyes off the screen. Atem stared back, satisfied, and Kaiba heard his voice clearly through the headset, sending a shiver down his spine. "Bring it, KAI!"

* * *

The cheers now ringing in Kaiba's ears were the sound of defeat. He strode past the other team, eschewing the ceremonial high-five in bad humour. Until he reached King at the end of the line.

"Good game," said Atem, stepping directly into Kaiba's path and raising his hand. Kaiba reached up to slap it out of his way, but Atem caught his fingers and closed his own around them, pulling their clasped hands to his chest.

Kaiba pushed past and pulled his hand back before casting a sharp glance back over his shoulder at Atem. "One-v-one me," he said.

Atem returned a confident half-smile. "Any time."

Kaiba stalked back to the green room to change. He wanted to debrief his team, but Shizuka had been nabbed for interviews, Mokuba liked to toy with fans in the crowd, and Mai – traitor – said she was going to kick back a drink with the other team. He picked up his trademark briefcase and headed for the stage door.

Voices in the corridor ahead made him stop. He didn't really want to speak to any reporters, so he hung back to determine the source.

"I just think you should seize your chance."

"I need to prepare." That was Atem's voice, Kaiba knew instantly; and the other must be Yugi.

"This isn't something you can be coached on," said Yugi. "You don't have to 'know your enemy', just go for it and see what happens."

"But, partner-"

"No time like the present," said Yugi, in a commanding tone Kaiba wasn't used to hearing from him. There was the sound of something like a brief scuffle and Atem stumbled around the corner, catching Kaiba off guard as he bumped into his chest.

"Excuse me," said Atem, stern-faced.

Kaiba moved to step around him. Yugi was close behind, but on seeing Kaiba, he gave a grin and a thumbs-up to Atem, and headed back the other way.

"Kaiba Seto, isn't it?" Atem started, and Kaiba looked back at him. "Your name, when you're not gaming, I mean."

"When am I not gaming?" said Kaiba. "But yes, that is my name. And yours is Atem Al-Hamarneh." He tripped over the unfamiliar pronunciation.

"You laid down a challenge, earlier," Atem said, crossing his arms. "I accept, and I happen to have a few hours free now."

Kaiba matched Atem's pose, standing tall, and feeling his heartbeat quicken. "I know a PC café in the area."

They might have had a celebrity welcome, had the café's occupants not each been absorbed in their own game. Kaiba paid, insistently, for their time. Atem retaliated by buying the coffees.

Kaiba settled into the contoured chair. It wasn't as well fitted to his thin body as his own custom gaming chair at home, but the support was adequate and the leather smelt clean. He logged on, casting a glance across at Atem doing likewise. It was strange to see someone other than Mokuba sat on his left, and stranger still to be sat so close with a rival. Still, practice against this opponent would be far better than any coaching he'd been given lately, and Atem's presence was far from displeasing to the eye. He dropped Mokuba a quick message to confirm his location before pulling on his headset.

"Random stage, random character?" asked Atem.

"I'm not here to play casual," snorted Kaiba. "Give me your best."

"As you wish," said Atem with a smirk.

* * *

A strange smell drifted into Kaiba's vicinity. Salty, slightly curried… He tried to ignore the distraction, at least for long enough to take the round, but it wasn't to be. He cast the mouse aside with a sigh and turned to find the source.

"Hi, bro," said Mokuba before taking a good long slurp of instant ramen. He leaned over to wave at Atem. "How's it going?"

"Just getting some practice in," said Kaiba, unwilling to admit that the score he'd racked up was nothing to boast about. "As the rest of the team should be doing, given today's performance."

Mokuba waved away the slight with his chopsticks. "We lost, so we don't have a match until next season. Let them chill for tonight. Him, on the other hand…" He looked over at Atem once more. "Hi, I'm Mokuba. Has my big brother been taking care of you?"

"Atem," said Atem, nodding at Mokuba. "Yes, he's provided quite the challenge. Of course, I won."

"I'm finding this evening absolutely illuminating in discovering new ways I'll wreck you in the future," said Kaiba, belligerently.

"Oh, is that so? Then why haven't you managed to do so yet?" Atem smiled innocently.

"Oh, you are _on_." Kaiba pushed his chair back up to the keyboard and pulled his headset back on.

"I'll leave you two to your play-date," said Mokuba to Atem before he could follow suit. "Please make sure he eats something." He ruffled Kaiba's bangs, and Kaiba batted his hand away, fearing traces of noodles.

Atem watched Mokuba go, before addressing Kaiba over the headset. "You said you didn't want to play casual. Let's up the stakes. Winner chooses the next challenge, and a penalty for the loser."

"I'm game," growled Kaiba, still smarting from defeat. He would have accused Atem of cheating if his skill level hadn't been so painfully obvious one-on-one. He selected a new character, hoping to throw Atem off his stride, and wriggled some feeling back into his long fingers.

* * *

Kaiba followed a triumphantly grinning Atem underground, into the shopping mall that led to the subway, past the colourful shop fronts and down a concreted corridor to a door marked by a long red curtain printed with a flaming white skull.

Atem held the curtain aside for Kaiba to stoop under. "Welcome to hell."

"This is a ramen joint," said Kaiba, incredulously, spotting the ticket machine for ordering in the corner, and the stacks of bowls piled up behind the steel counter.

"And tonight, it will be the scene of your undoing," said Atem, punching out two tickets from the machine and handing them in at the counter. "The winner is the one who finishes the bowl first, including the soup. You lose if you cannot finish, if you drink anything other than water, or if you pass out."

"If you wanted to go for dinner, I could have recommended a much better place."

"Are you passing on the challenge? I had heard you like to live on the edge, but…" Atem sucked in a breath and quirked a meaningful eyebrow.

"No mere bowl of ramen is going to have me beat," said Kaiba, flouncing out his coat tails as he sat on the bench.

"So, about the penalty from the last game…" Atem rested his chin on his hand and looked up at Kaiba. "How about you tell me three things about yourself?"

"Really," said Kaiba. "That's a pretty lame forfeit."

"Would you rather I asked you to run around the bar naked? I could go for that…"

"You can't change it after you've stated your terms." Kaiba crossed his arms and stared at Atem. "My name is Kaiba Seto. I'm a pro gamer. I have one brother."

"I knew all that already," said Atem, pouting just a little.

"You didn't specify it should be things you didn't already know."

"That's true," Atem sighed. "Ok, so you have a brother. You seem really close to him."

"He's…everything to me." Kaiba really didn't want to get into it with someone who had been almost a stranger three hours ago, but something about the soft look in Atem's eyes made him spit it out. "Like you and Yugi, right?"

"We're close, yes. Not brothers, though."

"You look so similar."

"It's the hair, right?" Atem smiled. "We thought we'd go for the team colours. If it wasn't dyed, we wouldn't be hearing that so often."

Kaiba looked, unconvinced, at Atem's hairline. That couldn't be the full story, but it didn't interest him enough to press it. The other part, though… "Are you and Yugi…" He trailed off, not really sure how to express it, or whether he wanted to know the answer. "Together?"

Atem's eyes flickered down briefly. "It's not what you're thinking."

Kaiba nodded, unsure whether to be exultant or dejected at Atem's response.

"How about you?" Atem asked. "Do you have a… girlfriend?"

"I don't," said Kaiba, flatly. It didn't feel like enough. "I'm not seeing anyone."

"Right," Atem nodded. "It's difficult to find the time, isn't it?"

"Until recently, I can't say I had much interest in that area," said Kaiba.

"Has something changed?"

"It may be too early to say." Kaiba stared into the bowl that had been set down in front of him, his rescuer from this line of conversation. It was screaming poison with its vicious fiery colours and layers of oil and crushed spices. "Well, are we doing this?"

"On three," said Atem, his gaze set firm once more, splitting his chopsticks and holding them poised over the dish. "One… Two… Three!"

Kaiba set to work, rolling up the noodles on his chopsticks. He could eat quicker if the spice touched his lips as little as possible, and besides, he didn't want soup splatter on his shirt. The first mouthful was almost a pleasant heat, but the more he ate, the more the heat built. He could feel himself sweating. Opposite, Atem didn't seem to be suffering as much that way, but Kaiba thought he could detect the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

Atem took a drink of water, but in Kaiba's experience that made the pain worse, so he plugged on through the noodles. His nose was streaming faster than he could sniff it away, and he had to pause to wipe his face with a tissue. He wanted to taunt Atem but his tongue was going numb and he didn't trust his voice to come out without a lisp.

Finally, he could spool no more noodles from the bowl. The remnants formed an unappetising sludge in the bottom which Kaiba sincerely wished hadn't been part of the deal. Still, he raised the bowl to his lips, tried to hold his breath, and drained it. He smacked the bowl down on the counter with a satisfied smirk, only to have it wiped off his face when he saw Atem likewise, his arms folded and eyes red.

"I finished five seconds ago," said Atem, hiccupping half way through the sentence.

"You must have poured the sauce away when I wasn't looking," accused Kaiba.

"Where would I put it?" Atem spread his hands. There was no suspicious plant-pot nearby, no opaque bottle.

Kaiba sighed. "What's the penalty?"

"You buy us ice cream," said Atem, still hiccupping. "Though to be honest, I think in the Hell Ramen Challenge, no-one wins."

"Then no-one sets the next challenge," said Kaiba, somewhat disappointed.

"Don't think you're getting off that lightly, Kaiba," hiccupped Atem.

* * *

"Six tries each, highest score wins."

"As simple as that?"

"If we had an objective judge, we could award style points – should I call Yugi?"

"That won't be necessary," said Kaiba, settling into the couch with a huff. It was just the two of them in a soundproofed booth, which should have meant he was living the dream. "Karaoke. Really."

"I'll give you a tip, for free," said Atem, with that smile that sent Kaiba's fight-or-flight response haywire. "Sing loud."

"No recordings." Kaiba was almost willing to let Atem have this one. He had no interest in popular music, and certainly no interest in having his singing voice mocked. But he made a show of scrolling through the choices and pretty soon came across the opening theme to a sentai show that Mokuba watched.

He started weaker than he would have liked, his voice not used to this particular stress being put on it. As the song went on he picked up strength, belting out the chorus with confidence. Atem sat and watched him, leaning casually on the table with a small smile.

"What?" he said to Atem as he slumped back into his seat afterwards, embarrassed, and grateful for five more tries. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm impressed," said Atem. "I didn't think you'd do it."

"I don't back down," said Kaiba.

"So I see," said Atem, picking up the microphone for his turn. It was a western song, mid-tempo, with a vaguely rock beat. Kaiba had expected something showier but maybe Atem, too, had to warm up. Kaiba tried to busy himself with looking through the list for his next song but his eyes kept being drawn to the figure on the couch next to him. Did he have to be so… magnetic?

* * *

"The machine's broken. There's no way you could have scored 100, you were way out of tune on that last part." Kaiba radiated sore loser energy.

"Even if it was broken, which it's not, it would have been broken for you too, and that 97 would have been lower." Atem spread his hands in supplication.

"You're infuriating." Kaiba shook his head.

"You're very attractive," said Atem.

Kaiba looked at him blankly. "What."

"I said, you're very attractive. Even when you get grouchy like that."

Kaiba frowned at stared at Atem. "Is this the penalty? To be belittled by you?"

"I'm not trying to belittle you," sighed Atem. "The penalty… All right, I'll make this plain. The penalty game is, if you're still sat there in five seconds, I'm going to kiss you. If you're not interested, or you want to think about it, all you have to do is stand up and walk out. I won't hold it against you."

Kaiba's mouth hung open as he processed the offer. He wasn't expecting it, but…

"One."

…he'd be lying if he said he didn't find the proposition interesting, but so soon…

"Two."

…after they'd met, did he really know anything about Atem other than he liked…

"Three."

..to turn every little thing into a contest, had a surprisingly good singing voice, and…

"Four."

…an undeniable charisma that extended beyond the pro-gaming circuit in which Kaiba…

"Five."

…had first fallen in love with him?

Before Atem could move, Kaiba closed the distance, his hand greedily behind Atem's neck as his lips settled on Atem's. This was one tournament in which he knew he'd take first place.

* * *

Notes:

For Vani, as part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Shipfest's Secret Easter Event. I hope you like it ;u;

Thank you for the opportunity to write an old OTP ;u; I tried so hard to make this fluffy but they would not cooperate!

As this is a giftfic, criticism is not requested at this time.


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